Can France retain World Cup title without Pogba and Kante?

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The live news bulletin on November 9 will feature the announcement of the World Cup squad. The France head coach considers the structure of his group, the mix of egos, the personality dynamics and the balance of skills when building his squad. The players he is losing to injuries makes his task more difficult.

The France star was forced to pull out of the World Cup due to a knee injury. He was followed by N'Golo, who had a recurring injury. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan is a huge doubt too given nagging calf issues, while it's still not certain defender Raphael Varane will be fit in time after limping off during Man United's 1-1 draw withChelsea on October 22. There are questions over the fitness of defenders Lucas Hernandez and Presnel Kimpembe, as well as veteran forward Karim Benzema, who has not been 100% for a while.

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The loss of Kante and Pogba is a big blow to DesChamps. Even if they haven't been at their best for a while, and even if they aren't the same players they were four years ago when they won the World Cup, it's still a huge blow.

Deschamps will have to replace both leadership and character on and off the pitch if he wants to keep his job. He will have to replace a lot of the things that he used to do. The French have a lot of depth, but Aurélien Tchouaméni may have arrived earlier than we thought. He will have a big role in the future.

Tchouaméni has taken his game to the next level with his performance with Real Madrid so far this season. Is he ready to play in a World Cup? You wouldn't put it past him to have an amazing tournament because of his talent.

There should be a man next to him in the middle of the field. Deschamps likes him. The France boss appreciates his activity and his intelligence, as well as the fact that they have had their ups and downs. After his move to Manchester United fell through in the summer, Rabiot has been one of the best players for the Bianconeri this season.

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He has a lot of experience at 27. The middle of the pitch will be full of energy with Tchouaméni and Rabiot. If he changed his tactical formation and reverted to a 4-3-3, for example, or even a 3-4-2, that thirdMidfielder is hard to figure out. Not a single one of the options is ahead of the others or a clear favorite for DesChamps. His debut was a good one. Guendouzi is liked by DesChamps. Camavinga has not been playing well for Real Madrid so far.

Deschamps knows that the year is over regardless of who he chooses. Steven N'zonzi, Samuel Umtiti, Djibril Sidibé, Benjamin Mendy, Steven N'zonzi, and Thomas Lemar are not going to the tournament. It's a huge turnover. While some of the absences have been forced on him, the form of others has dropped and a few aren't even active.

The L es Bleus squad that does travel to Doha on Nov. 16 will know a lot about France's success in Russia. In the past, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany have all been knocked out in the group stages of the World Cup.

Kylian Mbappe and Benzema will be relied on to avoid embarrassment. Brazil was the last country to win the World Cup, back in 1962. After being exiled from the team, Benzema is ready to make his mark in the tournament. He wants to be the best of the best and write history all the time. It would be something else to win a second World Cup.

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The final this year is on December 18th, a day before Benzema's 35th birthday and two days before Mbappe's 24th birthday. Winning the whole thing would be a gift.

Deschamps needs to use every ounce of skill to make sure this is a success. He will use all the problems around the team to unify his group of players and get them even more fired up. The Jules Rimet trophy will be brought back to Paris for him, Kante and the other players who will miss the tournament, according to a text message sent to some of his teammates. Time will tell if they can finish it.